Breaking The Girl
by L'ange-Sans-Ailes
Summary: Love… Loss… Betrayal… and one silver tongued mutant threaten to turn Jean's world upside down…
1. Drink It All Away

A gorgeous red-haired woman walked the streets of Bayville. She walked without purpose, without direction, without… hope. She crossed her arms across her ample chest as if stating to the world that she was would not surrender her last shred of dignity.

She was absolutely beside herself, completely unaware that a love forged from fires that even the Mutant Master of Fire himself could not hope to tame, could be so easily cast aside.

"Scott…" the redhead whispered as if the mere mention of her love's name would cause a severe mental breakdown.

She couldn't believe the love of her life had displayed feeling for another woman let alone who the other woman was.

"Emma," she said with contempt. Her walk slowed as she neared a street corner.

"Grey?"

She was brought out of her self loathing at the sound of her name. She scanned the area until she saw the only person that would know her name, let alone address her by her last name.

"Maximoff…" she said with a sigh.

"What are you doing here, Grey?" Pietro asked leaning against the building, "Shouldn't you be helping an old lady cross the street?"

"Why? Did you throw one into the street?" she asked glaring at the speedster.

"Snippy," he said peeking an eyebrow taking in her demeanor, "What's wrong… Blinky knock you up?"

She visibly flinched.

"He did, didn't he?" Pietro asked with a smug grin, "Oh man! Wait 'til Lance hears about this!" his celebration was cut off by a sob. He turned to see the tear soaked face of Jean, "He did something stupid, didn't he?"

"All men are stupid," she said regaining her composure.

"Sounds like you could use a drink," he said grabbing her arm and pulling her in the building he had been leaning against.

"I'm older than you are and I'm not old enough to buy alcohol, so how are you going to buy me a drink?" she asked in a whisper, "Wait… this is a bar?"

"Yeah, I still remember the first time I went into a bar," he said dragging her to a booth. They sat on the terribly uncomfortable seats and Pietro looked to the bartender and held up two fingers, "Now, why don't you tell me all about it?"

"Why are you doing this?" she asked in a state of confusion she had never experienced, "Why do you even care? We don't even like each other."

Pietro shrugged, "I'm bored, it's cold outside, you're not wearing a jacket and between you and me, business is kind of slow tonight," he said listing things off in a rapid fire manner, "I could go on if you want."

"Business is slow…" she repeated with a peeked eyebrow.

Pietro leaned forward, "What do you know about the Brotherhood?" he asked in a low tone.

Jean studied his face before answering, "You're all idiots," she said in a deadpan expression.

"Touché," he said with a smile, "But…" he reached into his jacket and pulled out a gold watch, "Give us a little more credit next time."

She snatched the watch from his grasp, "You stole this," she said forcefully, "How could you?"

In an instant her hands were empty again, "Criminal," he said with a smirk.

"But that's grand theft, that's a serious crime," she said, eyes wide in shock.

"And I'm a serious criminal," he responded just as the bartender brought them their drinks, "Now… why don't you tell me about Blinky?"

-An hour later-

A dozen empty glasses littered the table. Jean swayed in her seat as Pietro starred at her in mild curiosity.

"An' ya know what else…" she said her words slurring, "Have ya ever noticed how much room his costume has in the crotch area?" she pointed down at her own crotch, "I have!" she exclaimed spilling her drink.

"You don't handle alcohol very well do you?" he asked in mild amusement.

"I know my limits…" she said with a hiccup, "And I only had ten beers…"

"Well as long as you waved to your limits as you passed them by, I guess that's okay," he said tilting his head slightly.

"Damn right!" she exclaimed reaching for his drink.

Pietro pulled the drink just out of reach, "Why don't you finish the story?" he asked.

"Right, right…" Jean said with a nod, "So, cere… cerebellum?"

"Cerebro," Pietro corrected.

"That's that thing…" she said with a snap of her fingers, "It detected a new mutant, at a strip club of all places," she sighed, "An' Scott an' Logan went to go check her out…"

"Of course they did," Pietro said with a grin.

"An' when they were there… the place get's attacked by a bunch of religious mutant hatin' not nice people…" she slurred out.

That statement caused Pietro's eyebrow to peek in interest, "The Purifiers? I wonder how they knew a mutant was there," he said more to himself than to his inebriated acquaintance, "They're getting bold."

"We can go with that…" she said with a shrug, "They lit the place on fire an' she got stuck an' Scott saved her…"

"So, Blinky and the stripper fell in love at first sight?" Pietro asked resting his arms on the seat.

"Nah… she moved into the mansion an' everythin' went back to normal for a while…" she said reaching for his drink again, "But then things… started to happen…"

"Blinky not being as attentive as he used to be? Maybe forgetting to say he loves you? Screaming the wrong name during sex?" Pietro asked with a knowing nod pulling the drink just out of reach again.

Jean blushed, "We never… I mean I never… forget it. He's a jerk an' she can have him," she said finally getting her hands on the drink.

"A stripper in the X-Mansion…" Pietro said with a smirk, "At least she'll have plenty of business."

"Tha's not funny… there are a lot of little minds there…" she said swallowing the entire contents of the glass in one fluid motion, "Little tiny minds…"

"Well, did you walk in on them doing something of an intimately naughty nature?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"She's in his head… the one on his shoulders… telepathically…" she slurred slamming the empty glass on the table.

"Excuse me, but that's tele-pathetic…" he said in disappointment.

"What?" she asked entirely offended.

"You're one of the most powerful mutants in the world and you can't handle some stripper in your boy toy's head?" he asked in complete disbelief, "If you ask me your little relationship wasn't that strong to begin with."

"Bar closes in ten minutes!" the barkeep exclaimed, "You ain't got to go home but you got to get the hell out of here!"

"Are you going home?" Pietro asked helping Jean out of her seat.

She allowed the speedster to lead her out of the bar, "I think I need a hug…" she said as new tears began forming in her eyes.

"I guess… you could stay at the boarding house tonight…" he said reluctantly.

"Awe… tha's so sweet…" she said touching his nose with her finger.

"Just don't throw up on me, okay?" he asked scooping the redhead into his arms.

"I promise nothin'…" she said resting her head on his chest.

"I was afraid of that…" Pietro sighed out.

With that the mutant couple sped off into the distance toward the sanctity of the Brotherhood Boarding House.

"Ah! That was my favorite shirt!"

**A/N: I'm back baby!**


	2. Pronoun Game

Jean woke up to the most head splitting crunching noise she had ever heard in her entirely life.

"Oh… my head…" she said sitting up to see a most terrifying sight.

Her eyes landed on Todd crouching on the dresser eating cereal while apparently watching her sleep.

"What the hell…" she asked clutching her head, peeking at the younger teen with one eye, "Were you watching me sleep?"

"Pietro told me to watch you while he went out and I got hungry," Todd said showing her the bowl full of cereal.

She raised the comforter and looked at her lower extremities, "Why am I not wearing pants?" she asked dropping the comforter in fright, "Oh my God… please don't tell me I slept with him…"

Todd spooned more cereal into his mouth, "You'd be surprised how many times I've heard that," he said with a grin.

Jean raised her arm and telekinetically forced Todd out of the room then quickly slammed the door shut.

"I spilled my cereal, yo!" Todd exclaimed from the other side of the door, "If Mystique ever comes back she's gonna kill me!"

Jean looked at the door for a moment, slowly regaining her bearings, "I took a walk… ran into Maximoff… he dragged me into a bar and bought me a drink… or ten… I obviously blacked out and now I'm here… without pants," she lifted the comforter one more time and dropped, "Panties but no pants…" she said rubbing her temple.

She slowly removed the comforter and swung her legs over the bed. When her feet made contact with the cold hardwood floor she flinched. She took a moment to look around the room and found her pants hanging on the back of a chair. With renewed vigor she forced her feet to the floor, grabbed her pants and pulled them on.

"Socks… shoes…" she looked around frantically still rubbing her head.

"They're under the bed," a masculine voice called out from behind her.

Jean turned to the door to see the one person she had hoped to avoid.

"Maximoff…" she said reaching under the bed for her footwear, "Why did I wake up without pants?" she asked glaring at him as she pulled on her socks and shoes, "You got me drunk so you could take advantage of me didn't you?" she asked accusingly.

"You started taking them off while I was running. You said something about being hot when you sleep," he responded with a smirk, "You would've preferred I run into a brick wall at the speed of sound?"

"No…" Jean trailed off tying her shoes.

"You're welcome," he said crossing his arms.

"I… I'm going home," she said jumping to her feet and making her way to the door.

Her progress was stopped as Pietro grabbed her arm.

"What are you doing?" she asked preparing herself for a fight.

Pietro quickly draped his jacket over her shoulders, "Its cold," he said allowing her to go on her way.

She looked him in the eyes for a moment then turned away, "I have to go… they'll be worried about me," she said quickly making her leave.

After a moment Todd hopped into the room, "Are you gonna tell me or should I wait 'til Wolverine's on the front lawn?" he asked dropping into a crouch.

-An hour later-

Jean walked up the driveway, clutching Pietro's jacket wondering what she was going to say to her friends and guardians. She paused at the front door and decided on a stealthier entrance. She made her way around the mansion and under her bedroom window. She concentrated on the window and forced it open. She then took a look around before ascending into the air and through the window.

Now within the sanctity of her room, she removed the speedster's jacket and held it in her hands.

"I totally heard something come from Jean's room!"

She looked at the door in shock and quickly stuffed the jacket under the comforter.

Logan then shot through the door and landed in a low stance, his claws unsheathed and ready to fight. He took a moment to sniff the air then glared at Jean, "Where ya been Red?" he asked standing up straight.

"I was… with a friend," Jean responded uneasily.

"Really?" he asked unconvinced, "When ya feel like tellin' me the truth I'll be around," he said making his way out of the room.

Before Jean could breathe a sigh of relief the other senior X-Women strolled into her room.

"Jean are you, like, okay?" Kitty asked sitting dangerously close to the jacket.

"Yeah… I'm just fine," Jean responded slowly.

"Ya were gone all nahght," Anna said leaning against the dresser.

"We were so, totally, worried about you," Kitty said nodding furiously, "But, like, Mr. Logan kept saying that you were a big girl and that you'd totally come back when you were ready."

"He said that?" Jean asked wincing slightly at the younger girl's excited tone.

"Yeah, but that didn't stop a few of us from lookin' for ya," Anna said blowing a strand of hair from her face.

Kitty hopped on the bed making Jean even more nervous than she already was, something that Anna immediately picked up on.

"Where'd ya end up?" Anna asked casually.

"I… stayed the night with a friend," Jean responded slowly.

"Your friend didn't mahnd ya showin' up so late?" Anna asked trying to prod at the redhead.

Jean stared at the younger woman for a moment, "No… they didn't," she said trying to maintain her composure.

Anna nodded, "So, does your friend pee standin' up or sittin' down?" she asked a smirk playing on her lips.

"They're talented enough to do either. Now if you'll excuse me, I'd like to change," she stated firmly.

"Okay," Anna said with a nod as she and Kitty left the room.

"Well?" Kitty asked as they walked down the hall.

"She's got a hangover and she's playing the pronoun game," Anna said with a smile.

"Pronoun game?" Kitty asked in a confused tone.

-Meanwhile in the Boarding House-

Pietro sat at the kitchen table reading the sports section of the newspaper. Several minutes passed before he finally threw the paper onto the table and sighed.

"Damn I miss my jacket," he said crossing his arms, "Maybe I could speed in and just take it."

"Take what?" Lance asked as he walked into the room.

"His favorite jacket, he gave it to Red after he brought her home last night, yo," Todd said hopping in behind Lance.

"That was uncharacteristically nice of you," Lance said sitting at the table.

"Didn't you learn anything from Lance dating Kitty?" Wanda questioned as she sat across from her brother, "The X-Men and the Brotherhood should not date let alone be in the same town."

"Does everyone know Grey was here last night?" Pietro asked pinching the bridge of his nose in an attempt to stifle a headache.

"Jean was here last night?" Freddy asked peeking his head into the kitchen.

"You had Jean Grey, little Miss X-Man, in my house," said the most intimidating and freighting voice the Brotherhood of Bayville had ever heard in their careers.

"Um… hey Mystique," Pietro said nervously.

"I've been gone far too long," Raven said taking in the reactions of her merry pirate crew.


	3. The Natural

Pietro sped through the streets of Bayville with a determination that bordered on desperation. He maneuvered through the town until he finally made his way down a secluded road and stopped at the tall iron gates of the X-Mansion.

Pietro shoved his hands into the pocket of his hoodie as he looked up the driveway toward the mansion and scoffed as he saw the New Mutants holding a training session in the front yard.

"No challenge," he said taking several steps back and speeding over the wall.

-Pietro's speed-

Pietro took a moment to look over the New Mutants knowing that by the time they noticed he was there, he would be safely within the confines of his room. With that he sped around the mansion and up the wall to Jean's balcony. He leaned against the wall to peek inside to see if the coast was clear. To his surprise he saw Jean actually wearing his jacket. But before he could make a move she made her own move toward the door.

-Jean's room-

Jean sat at her vanity staring into the mirror. She stared at her reflection, a reflection that currently wore the jacket of one of her most dangerous enemies. She reached to the collar and held it to her nose.

"Hair gel and body wash…" she said slowly, "No wonder Logan didn't believe me."

Jean was quickly lost in thought until she was snapped back to reality by a knock at her door. She made her way to the door and opened it to reveal Scott Summers, her oldest and dearest friend.

"Scott? I was going to talk to you…" Jean said but quickly silenced herself when she saw the blonde bombshell standing behind her oldest friend.

"Jean I wanted to tell you before you heard it from someone else…" Scott said trying to close the gap between himself and the redhead.

Jean deftly avoided him and put even more distance between them.

"Why won't you hear me out?" Scott asked almost pleading with the redhead.

"You brought her with you," Jean said turning her back to the couple.

Scott sighed in defeat, "You can still count on me," he said as he left the room.

"I don't think I can," Jean said sitting on the edge of her bed.

"I'd apologize but I didn't do anything wrong," Emma said with an air of superiority.

"You know, I never considered you a threat… even with your taste in clothing," Jean said taking in the blonde's strapless top that showed off ample cleavage and hip huggers that threatened to show more than they covered.

"Of course I'm a threat. Why? Did you think for a moment that I wasn't?" Emma asked crossing her arms over her perfect chest.

"Why are you still here?" Jean asked closing her eyes in frustration.

Emma took the briefest of moments to examine Jean's outfit, "Tell me…" she started making her way to the door, "Is the owner of that jacket the same man you stayed with last night?" she asked leaving the room before Jean could answer.

Jean threw herself onto the bed and sighed, "Life used to be so much easier when it was just us against the Brotherhood," she said clutching the jacket to her chest.

She was torn from her thoughts by a second knock, this time coming from her balcony. She sat up and looked to the double doors to see Pietro Maximoff standing on the other side waving at her. She focused on the doors and caused them to open allowing the speedster entry into her sacred confines.

"Nice place," he said actually walking into the room.

"Why are you here?" she asked with mild curiosity.

"Well you just took off this morning…" he said still examining her room, "Just wanted to tell you that you could keep the jacket."

"Really?" she asked skeptically, "I can sense that you have a deep attachment toward the jacket."

"You can sense that from me?" he asked in surprise.

"I can sense that from the jacket," she said rubbing the jacket against her chest with her hand.

Pietro nodded his understanding, "You should keep it," he said returning to examine her room, "It looks good on you."

"That's uncharacteristically kind of you," she said giving him a playful smile.

Pietro leapt onto the bed, "Believe it or not that's not the first time I've heard that today," he said with a sly smirk.

-A few hours later in the Boarding House-

Pietro stepped out of the Brotherhood Bathroom wearing a pair of basketball shorts and a towel around his neck. He made his way to his room and threw open the door. What he saw next didn't surprise him in the least.

Wanda sat on the edge of his bed starring at him, "I see you're still jacketless," she said slowly getting to her feet.

"No big deal," he said pulling on his signature red long-sleeved shirt.

"No big deal!" she repeated, "You wouldn't let me wear it when it started snowing!" she exclaimed poking her brother in the chest.

"Yeah… I'm more into redheads," he said his famed smirk on his face, "And besides I got you home before the blizzard hit."

Wanda took a moment to study her brother, "Don't do something stupid Pietro," she said in a low tone, "Mystique's been weird and this could be the thing that sets her off."

"Don't worry about me Wanda," he said putting his hand on her shoulder, "By the time things go south I'll be long gone."

Wanda shook her head, "Mystique's been meaning to talk to you. If I were you I'd get it over with," she said leaving the room and her brother.

"Well I had a good run," he said pulling a pair of pants from his closet, "I don't want to die!" he exclaimed throwing his shorts on the bed pulling his pants and hoodie on and speeding out of the window.

-Meanwhile in the living room-

Raven sat on the couch staring into space apparently deep in thought, when Wanda descended the stairs and made her way past her.

"Wanda," Raven said snapping to attention, "You're brother ran off."

Wanda nodded, "He tends to do that when something scares him," she said continuing her journey to the kitchen.

Raven leaned back into the couch, "Quicksilver, if you insist on doing this you're going to need me in your corner," she said in a low tone.

-An hour later in the sleazy bar-

Pietro sat in a booth fingering the rim of his glass while he read the sports section. He threw the paper onto the table when he saw a rather familiar shade of red.

"You never told me how you got in here," Jean said as she slid into the booth.

"You walk in with confidence and no one will mess with you," he said flashing the redhead his million dollar smirk.

Jean gave him a skeptical look.

"My sister is dating the bartender," Pietro said waiving at the bartender.

Jean turned to see a chesty woman in a black leather vest waving back at the speedster, "Wanda and…" she trailed off in amazement.

Pietro shrugged, "At least they'd have pretty babies," he quipped.

Jean couldn't help but laugh, "It feels good not to force a smile," she said softly.

Pietro leaned forward, "Stick around I'll make more things come naturally."


	4. Intervention

-The very next day-

Wanda walked down the hallway and stopped at her brother's room. She looked at the door before a devilish grin made its way onto her lips.

She silently pushed the door open and looked inside, "Pietro?" she called out quietly.

A light snore assured her that her brother was asleep.

She ventured deeper into the room, "Pietro?" she called out barely above a whisper.

A second snore reassured her that she was completely undetected.

She saw a large lump underneath the comforter to his bed, "Pietro?" she said her grin widening, "Okay, since you're asleep…" she said as she leapt onto the bed causing the once sleeping speedster to bolt up right.

Now face to face with her brother her grin turned into shock, "Are you naked?" she asked leaping out of the bed shuddering as she put some distance between herself and her nude brother.

Pietro laid his head on his pillow and covered his eyes with his hands, "I like how the comforter feels against my skin," he said with a yawn.

"So…" Wanda stared at him for a moment, "Lefty told me a pretty little redhead was chatting you up last night."

Pietro uncovered his eyes and blinked a few times, "I don't know what you're talking about," he said sitting up in his bed.

Wanda showed him a picture on her phone of the resident speedster sitting with the only redhead they knew, "The wonders of modern technology," she said with a playful smirk.

Pietro glanced at the phone, "That's not me," he said shaking is head.

Wanda looked at the picture, "I didn't think it was you either," she said trying to stifle a laugh, "She said the redhead was talking to a really nice guy."

"Nice guy?" he repeated as realization struck him, "If this gets out I'll be ruined!"

"You're telling me," she said shoving the phone into her pocket, "What will people say when they figure out I'm your sister?"

"They'll probably feel sorry for me?" Pietro asked with a smirk.

"Cain slew Abel…" Wanda said barely above a whisper, "Oh lucky, lucky Cain…"

"What was that?" Pietro asked looking at his sister.

"Nothing Abel," she said making her way to the door, "Nothing at all."

-A few hours later in the kitchen-

Pietro sped around the kitchen looking for anything even remotely edible. After several seconds spent in futility he gave up and left the room.

Pietro walked into the living room and noticed all of his housemates sitting in a circle staring at him, "What? Is my fly down?" he asked looking down at his crotch.

"Pietro this is an intervention," Raven said signaling for him to sit in the only open chair.

Pietro sat down with a nod, "We talking about Lance's unnatural obsession with his jeep?" he asked patting his friend on the back.

Lance pushed the speedster's hand away, "What! No!" he exclaimed crossing his arms in frustration.

"Good," Pietro said with a nod, "I need to borrow it later."

"Focus!" Wanda exclaimed throwing a hex bolt at her brother, "We're intervening you!"

Pietro barely ducked the hex bolt, "Me? If this is about the thefts, we needed to pay the water bill!" he exclaimed defensively.

"That was a necessity, yo," Todd said leaping to his feet, "We're talking about something that goes against the Brotherhood guidelines."

"But I like changing my underwear," Pietro said slowly.

"They're talking about Jean," Freddy said, finally making his presence known.

"Okay…" Pietro said warily, "She has my jacket," with that statement Pietro went into a state of silence. His plan to confuse and enrage his captors had failed, so he merely sat in the chair using his superior speed to look at everyone in the room.

"I'm giving you my support," Raven said placing a hand on his shoulder.

"When did you become mother of the year?" Wanda asked staring at the blue shape-shifter in shock.

"When I realized that I was the closest thing to a mother you and the rest of those fools have," Raven said with a sigh.

"And I thought I'd get to see you rip off his left arm and beat him with it," Wanda said in a disappointed tone.

"I just want my jacket back!" Pietro exclaimed unconvincingly.

"Denial isn't pretty little brother," Wanda said with a knowing smirk.

-Several hours later in Bayville-

Two men walked the streets of Bayville sharing a bottle of whiskey. They walked aimlessly around the city.

"Steve…" one man said, "We gotta do somethin' huge or we're never gonna get our Purifier Robes…"

"What if… what if… what if…" Steve started fighting back the urge to hurl, "What if we attack that mutie stronghold at the edge of town, Larry?"

"No way Steve!" Larry said stumbling into a street sign, "We gotta be drinkin' somethin' way stronger than this to do somethin' that stupid."

"There's more muties right?" Steve asked, "What about the… Bro… Brother…"

"Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants?" Larry asked with wide eyes.

"That's them," Steve said with a snap of his fingers, "There's only like… one, two… five of 'em right?" he counted off on his fingers.

"Well you know what we gotta do…" Larry said pulling a lighter from his pocket.

"Go get some smokes?" Steve asked optimistically.

Larry nodded furiously, "And some more booze," he said as he and his good friend Steve embarked on a new journey.

-A few hours later outside the Brotherhood House-

Steve and Larry stood outside the house several bottles with rags stuffed into them at their feet.

"You said we were gonna get cocktails…" Larry said pointing an accusing finger at Steve.

"I told you we were gonna make Molotov cocktails!" Steve exclaimed at his friend, "Now shut up and start lightin'…" Steve pulled out his lighter and carefully began lighting several cocktails, "Oh man… when the guys hear about this they'll probably give us our own faction!"

"That'd be sweet," Larry said pumping his fist in the air, "But did we have to use all the booze?"

"It is kinda sad to see it go…" Steve said picking up a lit cocktail, "But when we get those robes we'll be on easy street the rest of our lives!"

As the drunken duo prepared to execute their plan, police lights flashed on them.

"What are you doing over there?" the Police Officer asked stepping out of his squad car to shine the searchlight on them.

"Now or never Steve," Larry said with a nod, "Immortality or prison."

"I choose the one without forced man love," Larry said cocking back his arm.

And in that instant the duo let loose the onslaught of cocktails into the Brotherhood House.

The Police Officer reached for his gun in an attempt to apprehend the arsonists but the house instantaneously burst into flames.

"Come on Steve! We're gonna be heroes!" Larry said dragging his friend into the darkness.

The Police Officer scrambled for his radio, "There's a fire at the Brotherhood Boarding House behind the high school! Get someone down here now! I'm beginning pursuit of the arsonists!" he exclaimed into the speaker, "Sweet merciful crap… no one deserves to burn alive," he got into his squad car to begin the chase.

-Inside the Brotherhood House-

Raven woke up with a start as a Molotov cocktail crashed through her window and shattered on the ground igniting her Persian rug, "Son of a bitch..."


	5. Dark Places

Jean walked into the rec. room where many of her housemates sat crowded around the TV.

"What's going on?" Jean asked in mild urgency.

"Someone burned down the Brotherhood House," Scott said, his eyes fixated on the TV.

"I hope Lance is okay…" Kitty added before turning her attention back to the broadcast.

"The arsonists in question have been pursued to the warehouse district. Police suspect that the religious group, The Purifiers are responsible for arson of the Brotherhood Boarding House and several small businesses. As of right now the inferno at the Brotherhood Boarding House has posed to intense for firefighters to even attempt a rescue…" the reporter said as a squad car exploded, "Are you getting this!"

The cameraman lifted his camera to show several men in brown robes with white crosses running the length of the robes standing in the windows brandishing high tech weaponry.

"The Purifiers appear to posses laser cannons of some sort and are not afraid to turn them on their fellow humans," the Reporter said ducking for cover.

Jean balled her fists as she stood in shock, "No rescue…" she whispered.

"X-Men," Professor Xavier said as he wheeled into the room, "To the X-Jet."

Jean stepped forward, "What about the Brotherhood?" she asked almost too quickly.

"Yes," Xavier said with a nod, "Ororo, take the New Mutants and quell the fire."

"I was thinking I could go too," Jean said slowly.

Xavier shook his head, "Your teammates will need the defensive aspect of your powers," he said in a stern tone.

"Yeah… right," Jean said as she watched her friends and teammates leap into action.

-A few minutes later in the X-Jet-

Jean sat by the window in an attempt to catch a glimpse of the Brotherhood House.

"Slim, Half-pint you're with me, we'll go in through the roof," Logan said peering over his shoulder at the teens, "Elf, Stripes an' Red you'll go in through the back alley. They're attention should be focused on the front of the building."

"Let's try to make this quick," Jean said stilling staring out of the window.

"Get in, put 'em down and get out," Logan barked, "Nothin' fancy, we don't know what kinda hardware they're packin'."

-A few minutes later in the warehouse district-

Jean, Anna and Kurt lurked in the shadows approaching their target building, while Logan's squad leapt from rooftop to rooftop.

When they finally approached the building, Jean signaled for her team to stop.

"Let's make sure we're alone," Jean said as she performed a mental scan of the area, "There isn't anyone watching the back of the warehouse but we'll have to be ready, they're everywhere."

Kurt grabbed the girls' hands and prepared to teleport into the building, but before he could make a move radio silence was broken.

"Logan, the boarding house collapsed in on itself," Ororo's voice came from the comm. "We can't get closer to check for survivors."

Jean's eyes went wide in shock.

"Owe! Jean, you're hurting me," Kurt said wrenching his arm away from her.

"I'm… sorry," Jean responded grabbing his hand.

"Which one of 'em was it, Jean?" Anna asked looking at the redhead.

Jean paused for a moment, "Kurt get us in there," she said ignoring Anna's question completely.

-Inside the warehouse-

The Purifiers gathered around the windows, randomly shooting at police officers and the media.

"We are God's answer to the mutant menace!" a Purifier exclaimed before spraying the street with laser fire.

Logan's squad phased through the roof and landed on the catwalk.

"Take 'em," Logan said unsheathing his claws and leaping onto a Purifier.

With a 'Bamf' Kurt, Jean and Anna appeared on the ground floor.

"I zink zat we should leave…" Kurt said as he looked at several crates filled with various weaponry and explosives.

Anna began digging in a crate, "Jean, quit standin' around," she said pulling explosives from one crate and setting them up on another.

Jean closed her eyes and took a deep breath, "Telekinesis means mind over matter but none of this matters…" she said her eyes snapping open revealing a faint fiery glow.

With that single statement Jean stretched out her arms and began floating in the air.

"Red! Get down!" Logan exclaimed throwing a Purifier over the railing, "What is she thinking!"

Several Purifiers saw the redhead and aimed their weapons at her. In an instant laser fire descended upon her.

"I got her!" a Purifier exclaimed.

Jean looked up at him and he began hovering in the air before Jean made a small hand gesture flinging him out of the window and into a police car.

"Jean?" Scott called out, "Are you okay?"

Jean ignored her comrade as she levitated higher into the air. She closed her eyes and in an instant every Purifier was quickly disarmed and thrown through the windows at the front of the warehouse for the police to collect. When she completed her task she descended back to the ground and made her way to Kurt.

"I want to go home," Jean said barely above a whisper.

Logan only shook his head as he signaled the team to leave through the back.

-A few hours later in Jean's Bedroom-

When she got home from the mission she marched straight to her room, locked the door and propped herself against the door. She remained there for several minutes in a state of denial. The logical part of her mind finally stepped in and forced her to move.

Jean now lay in her bed, Pietro's jacket draped over her shoulders, as she stared up at the ceiling thoughts of the speedster running through her mind. Her uniform was only half on, revealing her sports bra and taught stomach.

Jean rolled onto her side to look out of her window. As if to solidify her mood it began raining. With a sigh she rolled over so that she faced the opposite wall.

"Jean…"

Jean shut her eyes tightly, "Great… now I'm imagining his voice," she said in mild annoyance.

"Jean."

Jean shook her head, "Can't I just go regular crazy and not hear that voice?" she asked as if pleading with the universe.

"Jean!"

Jean shot into a sitting position and looked to her balcony to see a soaking wet speedster. She quickly made a hand gesture, opening the doors to allow him entrance. She stared at him in shock as he walked into the room. She took in his appearance of a hoodie, blue jeans and blue sneakers. His bangs framed his face, the rain removing them from their natural position from atop his head.

"Looks like you've seen a ghost," Pietro said with a smirk.

Jean nodded, "I think I've gone crazy," she said clutching the jacket to her chest, "Are you really here?"

"Well… I mean if you have gone crazy and this is some elaborate hallucination…" Pietro said removing his soaked hoodie, "I'm glad your subconscious decided to include me."

"This is real isn't it?" Jean asked in a whisper.

Pietro crawled into bed with her, "As real as this," he said leaning in to kiss her.

His lips gently brushed against hers. He pulled back to see her longing expression and leaned in for a second deeper kiss.

They broke off the kiss and Jean stared longingly into his eyes, "Never leave me again."

**A/N: Hope you enjoyed the comeback of the century!**


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